Now that Moises Martin has left the company for Amsterdam, does anybody know why? There seems to be an Exodus of male dancers lately. (I guess two don't make an Exodus.) I hope this isn't the start of a trend.

I have heard from a very reliable source that Moises wanted to be nearer his parents who are in Spain, and opted to join the Dutch National Ballet when an opportunity presented itself. He will be missed at SFB, but good luck to him!

Good to hear Moises left on his own choosing. I was worried that with his brother in San Francisco and with his leaving during the season (very rare to break a contract, I'd think) something else was afoot.

You don't have to go to the performances to appreciate the San Francisco Ballet. In the book "San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five," photographers have captured the company's vitality in brilliant fashion.

With a preface by Brigitte Lefèvre of the Paris Opera Ballet, a forward by former Chronicle critic Allan Ulrich and text by Stanford associate professor of dance history Janice Ross, the book (Chronicle Books; 188 pages) features 130 pictures that span the company's 7 1/2 decades.

Jean-Yves Esquerre has been appointed assistant to the artistic director. In this position, he will join the SF Ballet artistic staff in assisting Helgi Tomasson throughout the upcoming 75th Anniversary Season. Esquerre will focus on special artistic projects, in addition to his existing responsibilities teaching and coaching the Company and leading the School’s Trainee Program.

And don't forget about those enjoyful Fridays at the Ballet!

Quote:

During the 2008 Repertory Season, SF Ballet once again offers a series of events in tandem with select Friday performances, “Fridays at the Ballet.” From 5:30-7:30 p.m., patrons can enjoy cocktails, wine and hors d'oeuvres at Sugar Lounge (377 Hayes Street), with an 8:00 p.m. ballet performance at the War Memorial Opera House. These special events, targeted at young professionals and first time ballet-goers, will take place on February 1 and 22, and March 7. Tickets are $49. For more information, visit www.sfballet.org/fridays or call 415.865.2000.

A series of article from the SF Chronicle about the anniversary and the companies history.

Quote:

San Francisco Ballet celebrates its 75th yearAllan Ulrich

Friday, January 18, 2008

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco Ballet is simply to celebrate the hesitant first steps of a major art form in America.

Ballet has come a long way in the past 75 years. Indeed, it has come all the way. When, on June 2, 1933, the San Francisco Opera Ballet performed its first program on the stage of the recently opened War Memorial Opera House, the company pretty much danced alone. Catherine Littlefield didn't start her renowned Philadelphia troupe until a year later. George Balanchine's first company, the American Ballet, didn't rev up until 1935. And Ballet Theatre (later American Ballet Theatre) began operations in 1940.

During the past 75 years, hundreds of dancers have passed through the San Francisco Ballet, and all of them have stories about their experiences. We asked a few illustrious former members of the company to tell us what the Ballet has meant in their lives.

For Glenn McCoy, the even-tempered, silver-haired executive director of San Francisco Ballet, taking the long view has always been important. Twice in his career as an arts administrator, jobs he has held have gotten off to disconcerting starts, only to pan out very nicely in the end.

The first time was in 1980, when McCoy, freshly graduated from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, moved to New York and found work in the marketing department of the Metropolitan Opera. No sooner had he arrived than the Met went dark because of a strike by the musicians union.

Wow! Now I really have no reason not to drive/fly/walk to SF to see SFB. Does anyone have any idea what kind of roles they'd bring her in for? Historically, has SFB had guest principals, and what have they done with them?

Another article about the anniversary. This one from the Contra Costa Times.

Quote:

S.F. Ballet to celebrate milestoneWith a storied history that spans 75 years, the noted dance company has much to boast aboutBy Robert TaylorSTAFF WRITER

Article Launched: 01/22/2008 02:57:16 AM PST

The San Francisco Ballet's 75th anniversary opens with a "Diamond Gala Celebration" performance Wednesday night at the Opera House, and the diamond jubilee is being marked by everything from a $60 coffee-table book complete with DVD to a repertoire season crammed with 10 brand-new works.There will be tributes and reunions and nostalgic interviews and dinner parties and a proclamation from the mayor, certainly. It's all heady stuff, and a remarkable achievement for a dance company that started in the midst of the Great Depression as an adjunct to the San Francisco Opera, cheated death twice and performed America's first "Nutcracker" with a production tacked together from thrift-store yardage.

75 alive The oldest ballet company in the country intends to show that the dance form is a thoroughly contemporary, international art. BY RITA FELCIANO Wednesday January 23, 2008

With its 75th season, which starts Jan. 29, the San Francisco Ballet — the oldest ballet company in the country — intends to show that the dance form is a thoroughly contemporary, international art.

With the exception of the lovely Giselle (created by Adolphe Adam in 1841), the entire season has been choreographed within the company's lifetime. When it was created in 1938, Lew Christensen's Filling Station was considered the first American ballet. Other season highlights will no doubt include the New Works Festival (April 22–May 6), with premieres by 10 choreographers in three different programs. On this anniversary, it's worth recalling that there may be a historic reason why San Francisco ballet audiences have often embraced the new.

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